I have worked as a firefighter and paramedic for over 20 years; 16 of it at ELFD. I spent a brief time in the fire prevention division, and am currently working as a lieutenant in the fire suppression division. I hold at least operations level certifications in several technical rescue disciplines, but my concentration is on my technician level certifications in rope rescue and confined space rescue.

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     I am a family man. I have been married for over 21 years to my beautiful wife. We have two girls; one is in college, the other is in high school. I am active at my church as part of the music worship team. (I play guitar and sing.) When I allow myself to sit still, I like to read. Mostly, I read books that help me understand others better. I also enjoy podcasts of the same nature. All-in-all, I try to continuously grow as a person. I like to travel. In fact, I would do a lot more of it if I could afford it. (The Grand Canyon is my favorite destination so far.) I like baseball; though I am not athletic. I also enjoy music and theater. (Once a band geek, always a band geek!) I also like to write. In fact, I started a blog a while back (www.jimladiski.com) to share my story of struggling through anxiety and depression. Mental health issues are all-to-prevalent in the fire service, and I wanted to share my story in hopes of helping bring some sort of relief to others who may be struggling as well.

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    The fire service, as difficult as it is sometimes, has been a very rewarding career for me. The most rewarding part is interacting with my coworkers. The adage about firefighters being a family is true...both the good stuff, and the bad. But at the end of the day, I realize that I am able to be real with my brothers and sisters because we all--purposefully or not--show our true colors around each other. And I wouldn’t want it any other way.